The Downside of Crafting RPGs

[Susan Arendt]

The Downside of Crafting RPGs

A game-maker is only as good as his tools; or, more accurately, the tools playing his game.

Many would-be dungeon masters are anxiously awaiting the release of Dragon Age: Origins's toolset, which is an updated version of the robust tools that came with Neverwinter Nights. Before anyone gets too excited, it would perhaps be wise to remind ourselves of the experience Max Steele had several years ago, when he tried to craft a true tabletop experience for his friends using Neverwinter's tools. The group started off with the best intentions, but it didn't take long for things to go awry:

"You weren't supposed to kill the deer! Now I have to raise you from the dead and the module is ruined!" I typed as loudly as I could.

"If you didn't want us to kill the deer, why'd you put them there?" asked Scott.

"BECAUSE REAL FORESTS HAVE DEER! IT'S MORE IMMERSIVE THIS WAY!"

At that moment, I felt that the problem with computer roleplaying games wasn't the games. It was the players. They just didn't get it. Here I was with friends who were perfectly good tools for executing my storylines in the living room, but put them behind a keyboard and they simply couldn't be bothered to try and do what they were supposed to.

Steele's painful tale is a helpful reminder that every game is perfect until you let people play it. It's also a hilarious story of a homemade RPG gone wrong. Read Don't Roleplay the Bugs [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_4/28-Dont-Roleplay-the-Bugs] from Issue 4 of The Escapist, then share your own misadventures.

[Note: This article is from the days of the Great Escapist PDF, and as such, does not have art fashioned to fit the site's new design. Thus the placeholder "Featured Article" artwork.]

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[Amnestic]

"You weren't supposed to kill the deer! Now I have to raise you from the dead and the module is ruined!" I typed as loudly as I could.

To be fair, I would have killed the deer too. Not because of the exp bonuses or necessity for dried venison, but because they're there to be killed.

I wish I had some abysmal tale to tell of roleplaying follies and failures that have occured over the years, sadly, most all of my attempts at DMing have gone swimmingly and the few that didn't were due to my lack of preparation for that particular session.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I sheathe my sword and draw my bow and arrows. Does it respond in any way?

No, Eric. It's a gazebo!

One of Murphy's Laws of Gaming : No campaign ever survives contact with the players.

 

[DRADIS C0ntact]

Good ole Great Escapist PDF. How I miss the old layout. *sniffle*

 

[AmrasCalmacil]

I sheathe my sword and draw my bow and arrows. Does it respond in any way?

No, Eric. It's a gazebo!

One of Murphy's Laws of Gaming : No campaign ever survives contact with the players.

And no players ever survive contact with a Gazebo.

 

[Proteus214]

That's one of the major downfalls of most RPGs I've ever played. They seem to be crafted for a particular type of audience that would probably find the game or campaign to be incredibly fun, but in the hands of the wrong audience, it's just an exercise in frustration.

 

[Jhereg42]

Great story. I've been there before.

Ironically, the best tabletop emulation I've come across is OpenRPG. It's basically a pimped out chat program, but after a key member of our group moved it was the only way we could keep our games going. It's not really a perfect substitute, but isn't all that bad.

 

[Erana]

Max Steele had several years ago,

Max Steel?

Spoiler: Wait, what?

Seriously, that's all I got from the article. Maybe I should reread it...

 

[Susan Arendt]

Max Steele had several years ago,

Max Steel?

Spoiler: Wait, what?

Seriously, that's all I got from the article. Maybe I should reread it...

It's ok. I have that exact same reaction every time I see his name. But do read the article, it's a hoot.

 

[Erana]

Max Steele had several years ago,

Max Steel?

Spoiler: Wait, what?

Seriously, that's all I got from the article. Maybe I should reread it...

It's ok. I have that exact same reaction every time I see his name. But do read the article, it's a hoot.

So, does that bother him? Is he even aware of his name doppleganger?

 

[Hikikomori Ookami]

That's kinda funny. I was playing Neverwinter Nights last night and decided to kill some deer that I'd seen.

 

[pneuma08]

Players gleefully do the same (or similar) things in actual tabletop games. The GM just has more leeway, and doesn't have to deal with unexpected side effects, like the quest-giver deciding to murder the party (...although if I was a druid and you were killing my deer, I probably would be irate too - and note unexpected side effects; murdering the party is not out of the question, but rather a willful decision by the GM).

I think the difference is that people tend to think more in tabletop games simply because there is no second chances (if you piss someone off, they stay pissed off, which can come back to haunt you later). Moreover, stories are more flexible because content can be pulled out of nowhere by the GM if need be, whereas it takes hours of work as far as computer-generated content goes.

 

[rampantcreature]

Players gleefully do the same (or similar) things in actual tabletop games.

I completely agree. Some players will kill anything and everything that that know is there. In a tabletop game GMs rarely mention the wildlife, so players don't think of it as something that is there to be killed. But when it's made obvious by being on a screen...it's fair game. Many a game I've been in has been broken by callous bloodthirsty players. There was a well known story in my group about the NPC "Plot D. Vice" who was killed before he ever got a chance to speak.